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Part II

Thank you for the comments on the first part of this story, and please let
me know your opinion of this ending section. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
No profit was made on this story.

***

Although Harry didn't find travelling by Floo powderas stomach wrenching as he once had, it still wasn't his favorite activity.
Coughing, he stumbled out of the fireplace and into the kitchen at the Burrow.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley was standing by the fire, wand in hand. Harry wondered
how long she'd been waiting; the kitchen sparkled, as though from repeated cleanings.
"Are the boys and Ginny behind you?" she asked, looking anxious.

Before Harry could answer, the fire flashed green and Ron stepped out, a heavy
satchel slung across his shoulders and a smudge of soot on his nose.

Ginny shook her head. "You two aren't still arguing, are you?" She smiled at
her mother. "Hello, Mum. I've got your receipts."

Mrs. Weasley smiled back. She looked relieved. "Thank you, dear. Did you get
everything you needed?"

Ginny nodded. "Except for the fourth year Divination textbook." She grinned
at Harry. "But Harry said I could borrow his."

Mrs. Weasley patted Harry on the shoulder. "That's sweet of you, dear, but
I'm sure she can use Ron's old one."

Outside of his mother's vision, Ron shook his head vigorously at Ginny, mouthing
'No!'.

Harry grinned. By the time Ron received a textbook, it had usually been through
at least two other Weasleys. As Ron wasn't particularly careful with his school
things, it was a rare for a book to survive an entire year. He generally ended
up sharing with Harry, not that Harry minded.

"We've got time before supper for a quick game, right?" Fred asked.

"Supper? Oh, yes, go ahead. I'll get started." Mrs. Weasley flicked her wand.
A door in the corner cupboard opened and an apron shot out, flying across the
room and into her hand.

"Get a broom," Fred ordered Charlie. "And I expect a full apology once I've
proved you wrong."

Charlie stuck out his tongue at Fred before heading down the narrow passage
that led to the staircase.

"We should get ours, too," Harry said to Ron. "This'll be worth seeing."

"Oh." Ron glanced over Harry's shoulder at his brothers. He lowered his voice.
"You go on without me. I've got something I need to take care of. I'll be out
in a minute."

Harry stared at Ron. "You're owling Hermione again, aren't you?"

Ron turned red. "No. Well, just a quick note. I'll be fast."

The corners of Harry's mouth twitched. "Ron, we just saw her ten minutes ago."

Harry considered asking how Ron could've forgotten to tell Hermione anything
after the two had spent the entire day not more than ten inches apart, but he
thought better of it. "Okay," Harry said. "I'll tell them you'll be down later."

"Oh." George glanced at Mrs. Weasley, then cleared his throat. "Well, I'll
just go up and get our brooms, then."

Mrs. Weasley had put a pot to boil on the stove, and was using her wand to
peel potatoes above it. "George," she called, as he headed for the staircase,
"if you're going upstairs, then you can take your school things, too." She picked
up one of the bags from the counter next to her and held it out toward her son.
A folded piece of yellow parchmentslipped out
and drifted to the floor.

She set the bag back down and bent to retrieve the paper. "What's this?" she
asked.

George's eyes widened, and he made a grab for the paper, hand outstretched.
"Nothing, it's trash. I'll get it."

Mrs. Weasley beat him to it. "Is this one of your receipts, Ginny?" she asked,
unfolding the paper.

Ginny shook her head. "Shouldn't be. I put them all in my…" Her voice trailed
off at her mother's expression. "Mum? What's wrong?"

Mrs. Weasley looked at George, who had skidded to a stop in front of her. There
was a splash as the potatoes dropped from the air and into the pot. "Where did
this come from?" she asked.

"Where'd what come from?" Charlie asked cheerfully as he returned, broomstick
in hand.

Her eyes still on her twin sons, Mrs. Weasley held out the paper to Charlie.
"It's a receipt for a new account, opened today in Fred and George's name."

Charlie studied the paper, letting out a low whistle. "Nearly a thousand Galleons.
Wow." He looked up, curious. "What'd you two do, rob a train?"

Harry froze.

"That's not funny!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. She grabbed George by the arm. "George,"
she demanded, "Where'd this come from?"

Although both taller and heavier than his mother, George's expression was
one of terror. He couldn't seem to speak. "Well," he finally said, his voice
higher than usual, "we've been saving our allowance, and …"

"DON'T lie to me! Remember who pays your allowance!" She snatched the paper
back from Charlie and waved it in George's face. "This is from those practical
jokes we told you to stop making, isn't it?"

"No! Mum, really, it isn't what it seems…" George began.

Fred took a brave step closer. "Mum…we can't tell you."

"You certainly WILL tell me!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. Harry had never seen her
so angry. "When your father gets home, you're going to…"

She was interrupted by a 'pop' as Mr. Weasley Apparated at the kitchen door.

"Great timing," Fred muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Mr. Weasley looked exhausted. "Hullo, everyone. Have a good day?"

"Fred and George certainly did." Mrs. Weasley thrust the receipt at her husband.

Harry watched as Mr. Weasley scanned the paper. He could tell when he got to
the number part because his eyes bugged out, like the characters in the cartoons
that Dudley was so fond of watching.

"Where did this come from?" he asked.

"They were just about to explain that," Mrs. Weasley said, glaring at the boys.

Fred cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he said, straightening. "We promised
we wouldn't tell. We didn't get it illegally or anything like that, if that's
what you're worried about."

George nodded. "You just have to trust us that it was a gift."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "Surely you'd don't expect us to believe someone
gave you that much money?"

"Well, it wasn't really a gift." Fred said. "It was more of an investment."
He looked at George, then cleared his throat. "It's official. We're going to
open a joke shop when we graduate. Weasley Wizard Wheezes."

Mrs. Weasley's laugh was heavy with disbelief. "You can't be serious! You know
nothing about running your own business."

"We don't!" Fred said eagerly. "I mean, we didn't, but we've been doing research."
He turned to George. "Go get the books," he urged.

George ran for the stairs.

Fred grabbed one of the bags from Diagon Alley and pulled out a book, which
he thrust into his father's hands.

Mr. Weasley held the book out at arm's length, peering down through his glasses.
"From A to Z - How to Get Your New Wizarding Business Off the Ground."

George pounded back down the stairs and into the kitchen with an armload of
books, which he dumped on the table. "These aren't all," he panted, "we just
sent a box back to school."

Mrs. Weasley picked up a paper volume. "Gringotts' Guide to Financing the
Fledgling Business."She picked up another. "How To Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying: The Wizards' Edition."

Mr. Weasley looked at both boys a moment before he put down the book. He took
off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Boys, I'm impressed you've taken the time
to study up on this - really, I am. But I'm afraid you haven't thought of the
implications. Owning your own business has responsibilities I don't think you've
considered."

"And besides which, this isn't a career, it's a hobby," Mrs. Weasley
said firmly. "You couldn't possibly make enough money to live on. If you went
into the Ministry, you'd have a stable income with good benefits, and you could
do this on this side for fun. But as your only means of income?"

Fred looked at his mother. "If we go into the Ministry," he said, "we might
end up like Percy."

"Fred!" Mr. Weasley said sharply.

Mrs. Weasley paled. Percy had moved out at the beginning of the summer. He
wasn't speaking to his father.

Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke. "Percy will come around. He just
needs time. And you can't reject a career at the Ministry, a good career,
because of a misunderstanding."

George shouted. "Mum, you always talk about us like we're one person!"
He grabbed Fred by the shoulder. "This is Fred. He's half and inch shorter than
me. He's loads better at Arithmancy, and he sneaks Ron's Martin Miggs the Mad
Muggle comics when he thinks no one's looking."

Fred looked startled.

George slapped his own chest. "I'm George. I like to write. I have a notebook
of short stories, but I've never shown them to anyone. I'm going to let me hair
start growing the day I graduate and not cut it until it's as long as Ginny's."

George held up a hand. "Sorry. I'm sorry. Look…" he ran his fingers through
his hair, then shrugged. "I don't know what else I can say. I'm sorry, Mum,
but like it or not, Fred and I are going into business together - not into the
Ministry."

"George…" Mrs. Weasley began.

Fred's jaw was set. "We're decided, Mum. Sorry."

Mrs. Weasley looked from Fred to George, her expression unreadable.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat. "All right, you've made yourselves clear. You're
old enough to make your own decisions. We certainly can't force you to go into
the Ministry, and…" he glanced at his wife. "I understand your reasons." He
shook his head. "But boys, there's still the matter of the money. You've got
to understand why we're concerned."

Harry saw Fred look at George. George shook his head slightly, squaring his
shoulders. Neither looked his way.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but…"

"I gave it to them," Harry blurted.

Everyone stared at him.

"What?" Mr. Weasley said, looking shocked.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I gave it to them."

Mr. Weasley shook his head. "Harry, why?"

Harry searched for a plausible lie, but found none. "I just did."

Mrs. Weasley seemed to have found her voice again. "Harry, dear, you can't
just give away that much money out of the blue! You must've had a reason."

Harry swallowed. "I want Fred and George to have it." We've helped each
other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together. Harry's
heart beat faster.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "You could do a lot with that money. Have you really
thought this…"

Cedric grinned. "You're on."

He pulled away from Mr. Weasley. "Look, I don't want it!" he shouted. "I tried
to give it to the Diggorys, but they wouldn't take it, and I can't keep it!"

It suddenly went so quiet that Harry could hear the hum of the grandfather
clock in the living room. Mrs. Weasley was staring at him, her hands over her
mouth. The twins looked sympathetic; Ginny had tears in her eyes. Harry looked
to the doorway. Ron was standing there. He met Harry's eyes, then turned and
went back down the hallway; Harry heard his feet on the stairs.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat. The noise triggered something; Harry realized
what he had done, and his face went hot with embarrassment.

"Mr. Weasley," he stuttered, "I'm sor.."

Mr. Weasley held up a hand, silencing Harry. He looked at his wife. Harry could
see tears on her cheeks. She nodded, her apron twisted in her hands.

He cleared his throat again. "Right. Boys, you may keep the money."

Fred and George both looked startled. "What?" Fred asked.

Mr. Weasley held out a hand to Harry. Stunned, Harry accepted it.

"Harry, that was very generous of you," Mr. Weasley said. "Thank you."

Harry couldn't think of a response. "Yes, sir," he said.

Mr. Weasley turned to the twins. "I've got a friend at the Ministry who's a
retired lawyer. He could help you get everything set up properly once you graduate.
Would you like to talk to him?"

Identical grins broke out on each boy's face.

"Yeah, we'd like to talk to him," George said. "Thanks, Dad."

Fred looked at his mother. "Mum?"

Mrs. Weasley used her apron to wipe her eyes. "Will there be a family discount?"
she asked, her smile watery.

Charlie punched Harry in the arm. Although it was lightly aimed, Harry was
sure he'd have a bruise by morning. "So, we'll be dining with an investor
this evening," Charlie teased. "How impressive."

Harry blushed. "I'm not really. I mean…"

George shook his head. "Sorry, Harry, you're stuck. He held up his hands, making
an imaginary frame in the air. "'H. Potter, Investor and Experimental Magic
Test Guinea Pig' - that's how your door plaque will read one day."

Fred nodded, his expression solemn. "That's right. Stick with us and we'll
make you rich. If we don't blow you up first, that is."

She released him, then pushed his hair out of his eyes to kiss his forehead.

Dinner's in twenty minutes. If you boys want to get in a game, you'd better
run up and get Ron." Mrs. Weasley turned back to her kitchen to start the potato-peeling
process again.

Harry sighed. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was talk to Ron,
but he knew putting it off wouldn't make things better. He trudged down the
hallway and started up the stairs.

*****

Ron's door was open. Ron was sitting on his bed, staring into the open trunk.
He didn't look up when Harry entered the room.

Harry cleared his throat. "Your mum said dinner's in 20 minutes."

Ron nodded, but still didn't look at Harry.

Harry leaned uncomfortably against the door jam. As the silence continued on,
Harry found himself growing increasingly irritated. He had known Ron would be
mad if he ever found out where the money for his new dress robes had come from,
but after the scene in the kitchen, Harry was in no mood for an argument, and
especially not with Ron. He would go outside, he decided, and watch Charlie
and the twins play Quidditch. Ron could sit in his room and brood by himself.

Ron looked at Harry. "So," he said, gesturing to the robes, "I guess I should
thank you for these."

Harry blinked, surprised. Ron's expression was neutral; Harry didn't know how
to respond. "I…well, that is…it was no big deal."

Ron nodded. He picked up the brown paper-wrapped package. One corner was ripped,
and he ran a finger along its edge. "Does Hermione know? I mean, that you bought
them."

Harry shook his head. "No. I didn't tell her. And I didn't buy them, Fred and
George did."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, but you told them to. I knew they wouldn't've thought
up something like that on their own. Huge tightwads, both of them."

Harry couldn't think of a response.

Ron continued to pick at the wrappings. "You could have told me, you know."

Harry wasn't sure if Ron was talking about buying the dress robes or giving
the Tournament winnings to Fred and George. He nodded.

"Kind of stupid of you, though," Ron continued.

"Why?" Harry asked cautiously.

Ron looked up and grinned. "Well, you saw how good I looked in them. With me
around, no one'll give you a second glance."

Harry stared at Ron, then laughed. "I'll live, I think."

Ron tossed the package into his open trunk. "Right. Quidditch, then?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Sounds good."

Ron grabbed the brooms out of the corner, then paused. "Harry?"

Harry looked at him.

Ron reddened slightly. "Don't tell Hermione what I said about how I look in
the robes, okay?"

Harry grinned. "Okay."

Ron grinned back and started for the door.

Harry pushed ahead of Ron. "As long as Fred gets Charlie to change his mind
about that Beater play. Otherwise, I'm owling Hermione first thing after dinner."

Harry ran for the stairs. He could hear Ron's footsteps pounding behind him.

Life was good for the moment.

//

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